Waveguide Feed Array Layout for Congruent Multi-Beam Full-Duplex Antennas
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication satellite antenna systems face challenges in achieving full-duplex communication with multiple contiguous beams using a single reflector antenna, requiring complex beamforming networks and multiple reflectors due to feed sharing constraints in frequency and polarization, which degrade performance and increase design complexity.
Innovation Solution
A waveguide feed array with overlapping clusters of dual-band, dual-polarization feeds, where adjacent clusters share feeds in polarization but not frequency, using rotated feeds and separate beamforming networks to reduce complexity and enhance performance, allowing for congruent transmit and receive beams.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If feeds are shared between adjacent clusters in frequency and polarization, then the number of feeds is reduced, but performance degrades and design complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The feed array is divided into multiple clusters, where each cluster is dedicated to a specific frequency band. This segmentation allows adjacent clusters to share feeds physically while maintaining frequency isolation through separate beamforming networks, thus reducing the total number of feeds without compromising performance.
Solution Approach 2:
Separate beamforming networks are introduced as intermediary components between the shared feeds and the radiation elements. These beamforming networks enable frequency-specific signal routing, allowing feeds to be shared across clusters while maintaining distinct frequency band performance characteristics.
2Device complexity
If feeds are shared between adjacent clusters in frequency and polarization, then device complexity is reduced, but design complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The beamforming networks are segmented by frequency band, with each network handling a specific band. This segmentation simplifies the overall design by allowing independent optimization of each frequency band's beamforming logic, reducing the complexity of managing shared feeds across all bands simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of implementing full feed sharing across all frequency bands, the solution applies feed sharing partially within each cluster dedicated to a specific band. This partial sharing approach reduces device complexity while avoiding the excessive design complexity that would result from universal sharing.
3Reliability
If multiple reflectors are used to achieve full-duplex communication, then frequency isolation is improved, but device complexity and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The transmit and receive frequency bands are merged into a single reflector antenna system through clustered feed arrays. Each cluster operates in a specific frequency band with dedicated beamforming networks, enabling full-duplex communication without requiring separate reflectors for each band.
Solution Approach 2:
A single reflector antenna is designed to serve multiple frequency bands simultaneously through the clustered feed architecture. The reflector performs the universal function of focusing electromagnetic waves for both transmit and receive operations across different frequency bands, eliminating the need for multiple specialized reflectors.
Data Source
AI summary
A waveguide feed array includes overlapping clusters of elementary feeds, each feed configured to operate in at least two distinct frequency bands with dual-polarization in each frequency band. The feeds have at least four waveguide ports each, one for each pairing of frequency band and polarization, and are connected through beamforming networks, one per frequency band. Clusters of feeds each have at least two beamforming networks and at least two common ports. The waveguide feed array further has a main longitudinal direction that is substantially orthogonal to a plane of an aperture of the waveguide feed array, the plane being defined by two main directions. Adjacent clusters along a first of the main directions are configured to operate, for a given frequency band, in different polarizations. At least one feed of each cluster is rotated around the main longitudinal direction with reference to the other feeds of said cluster.